"Dear Steve, I saw a patient this morning with your book [in hand] and highlights throughout. She loves it and finds it very useful to help her in dealing with atrial fibrillation."

Dr. Wilber Su,Cavanaugh Heart Center, Phoenix, AZ

"...masterful. You managed to combine an encyclopedic compilation of information with the simplicity of presentation that enhances the delivery of the information to the reader. This is not an easy thing to do, but you have been very, very successful at it."

Ira David Levin, heart patient, Rome, Italy

"Within the pages of Beat Your A-Fib, Dr. Steve Ryan, PhD, provides a comprehensive guide for persons seeking to find a cure for their Atrial Fibrillation."

Walter Kerwin, MD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

FAQs Coping with A-Fib: Spouse Support

“What can I do for my husband when he has an Atrial Fibrillation episode? How can I be supportive?”

First, determine if this episode is typical. If you both know from experience that this A-Fib attack will pass, you can help by getting him to sit or lay down and relax as much as possible. Maybe he needs to be reassured—remind him that this isn’t life threatening. That may help to keep you both calm and to get you through it. (I know how hard it is to “relax” when your heart feels like it’s going to jump out of your chest and is totally out of control.)

You might suggest he try one or more of these tips shared by other A-Fib patients:

• Putting cold compresses or ice on the back of one’s neck.
• Laying down and trying to relax in a darkened room.
• Moderate exercise. For some, moderate exercise may help terminate an A-Fib attack. But for others, exercise may trigger or increase an A-Fib attack.
• Deep breathing and holding one’s breathe while pressing down hard on the diaphragm.
• A-Fib is sometimes triggered by body position—lying or leaning on the left side. Lying on one’s back and relaxing the chest may help terminate A-Fib episodes triggered by lying on the left side.
• Putting one’s head between one’s legs and deep breathing.

If this episode is unusual and your spouse is in great discomfort with his heart beating very rapidly and irregularly, consider calling emergency services (dial 911 in the US.) or drive him to a hospital emergency room. The emergency room staff can use a defibrillator and medications to electrically shock him back into normal sinus rhythm. Or convert him back into sinus rhythm using drugs.

Disclaimer: the authors of this Web site are not medical doctors and are not affiliated with any medical school or organization. The information on this site is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Nothing contained in this service is intended to be for medical diagnosis or treatment.